October is National Principal
Month. A couple weeks ago, it was an honor to meet with and congratulate Aztec High School Principal Dr. Warman Hall, who
was recently named the New Mexico Principal of the Year. We are all grateful for his leadership in bringing his school and
community together to recover from a tragic shooting late last year. Aztec High has increased academic achievement, which
is truly a credit to Dr. Hall.

PHOTO: U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich meets with Aztec High School Principal Dr. Warman Hall and his wife, Anjee,
to congratulate him for being named New Mexico's Principal of the Year, September 25, 2018.

When Dr. Hall visited my office in Washington, we talked about what he is doing to collaborate with principals
around the nation. He and his wife, Anjee, a music teacher at McCoy Elementary School, are both great examples of how New
Mexico's educators can inspire our kids and help the next generation of New Mexicans grow and thrive.

I will never stop believing in the boundless potential of New Mexico's children. But we
need to do so much more to support our educators and families. Investing in education is the key to unlocking our state's
economic potential. Students and teachers across our state are counting on us to improve our education system from early childhood
all the way through higher education and beyond.

In just the last month, I
was proud to support a major education funding bill that increased federal investment in Title I grants that provide extra academic support to help students--particularly those
in high-poverty K-12 public schools--meet college and career-ready state academic standards. I've introduced the Degrees Not Debt Act to give more low- and middle-income students the opportunity to attend college without taking on student loan debt. And I
continue to call on legislators to invest a sustainable portion of our state's Permanent Fund in early childhood education.

I will continue fighting for our educators so they have all the resources, training, and
support they need to help our students succeed.